The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-07-06

good, too. j was ~ years old when
killed my first Indian. 1t happened rather
sudden. l was walking out by the river,
near Font Kearney, one night about 10
o'clock. My companions had got on ahead
somehow, and l was quite alone. when
looking up toward the bluff bordering
the river, / saw, illuminated by the
moon, the head and shoulders of a living
Indian, watching me with evident interest
Now, had heard many stories of the do
ings of the red men, and had also been in
culcated with a thorough distrust of their
ways; so, quickly coming to a conclusion
as to what should do, brought my gun
TO my shoulder, and, aiming at the head,
fired The report sounded louder than
usual in the silence of the night, far it was
past 10 o'clock, and was followed by war
whoop, such as could only be built up by
an Indian, and the next instant over six
feet OF dead Indian came down splash into
the river.
Soon after this l went to business. |
took to the plains, and IN the employ of
Messrs. Russell x Simpson soon learned
the ms and outs of the wild life led with
horses and cattle driving teams, riding ex-
press ponies, and getting to know the
land. Among other things l somehow
found out low to hunt Uuffaloes, a sport
second to none, if you know how. / shall
never forget the faces of five officers / met
on the prairies once, now many years ago.
They were after Eerd of buffaloes. 80
was l. We exchanged views. l gave them
my ideas; they gave me their sympathy.
You surely don't expect TO catch bu1faloes
with that gothic steed," said they.
Il am going to try" l said.
you'll never do 1t, man alive" said the
Captain. ut wants a fast horse t6~hunt a
buffalo"
"Does it?" l responded.
"Yes; but you can come with us if you
like"
And 1 did like. There were eleven buff
faloes in the herd, and. while the officers
rode straight at them, headed the leaders
and got up to them with ease. The horse
which my companion had been chatting
was the famous Brigham, who knew as
much about the sport as | did; he speedily
did his part of the business. A few jumps
brought us up to the herd. Raising Gu
cretia Borgia," my trusty weapon, aimed
at the first animal, fired, and brought him
down, Brigham, like the ideal animal
that he was, carrying me rapidly up to the
next brute, not ten feet away; and, when
had dropped him. bounded ON to the next,
and so on, until l had slain the whole
eleven animals, and then my horse stopped.
! dismOunted TO regard my work with a
| feeling of satisfaction. Those officers rode
up shortly, and l shall never forget their
expressions as they surveyed the work of
| five minutes lying around.
My horse Brigham was an exceptionally
intelligent brute. He took the keenest de-
! light in sport, and Invariably took pains 20
aid me in getting game. All he expected
of me was to do the shooting; the rest was
his work. He would always stop if the
buffalo did not fall at the first shot, so as
to give me n second chance; but if did not
bring him down then, he would go on dis
| gusted.
1t was in 1867 that the Kansas Pacific
| track was In the buffalo country, and the
company was employing over twelve hun
dred men in the making of the road. The
Indians We're very troublesome, and it was
| not always easy to get sufficient supplies
| of fresh meat for the men. 1t was about
| this time that Messrs. Goddard, the con-
tractors TO the constructors, made me a
handsome offer, provided | would under
take to hunt for them. They required
twelve buffaloes per diem. The work was
somewhat dangerous, owing TO the Indians,
but the terms were handsome-hve hundred
per month. | took the offer, and in less than
eighteen months, during which time my
| engagement lasted, L killed 4,2oO butaloes
single handed, and had many scrimmages
with the Indians, and hair breadth escapes.
1t was during this period of my career toat
had my celebrated buffalo killing match
! with Billy Comstock. the noted scout, then
at Fort Wallace. The terms were settled
rs follows: We wer TO hunt one day of
eight hours, from eight a. m. to four D. m.
| The stakes were $500 4 side. and the man
who killed the most lslffaloes was to be de-
clared the winner. The contest took place
twenty miles east from Sheridan, and many
thousand people came from all parts TO see
the spout. We were fortunate in finding
animals, and had plenty of sport. We made
three runs each, and / killed sixty mine
bufialoes, my rival being content with forty
six. Not a bad days work-a day which is
IN historical one for me, inasmuch as since
then have invari bly, been referred 10 i'll
AL parts of the civilized world as Buffalo
| Bill.